Improvement in molds for casting hubs



V. PRICE.

Molds for Casting Hubs.

No. 215,772. Patented May 27,1879.

Inwen for: fl k (2M.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VIRGIL PRICE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT lN MOLDS FOR CASTING HUBS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215,772,

December 23, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VIRGIL PRICE, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented an Improved Mold for Gastin g Wagon- Wheel Hubs, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved mold. Fig. 2 is a centralvertical section of the same, and Fig. 3 a face view of one partthereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

This invention has for its object'to produce a sectional mold forcasting metallic hubs for vehicle-wheels upon the spokes, so that thespokes will be intimately connected with the hubs when the latter comeout of the mold.

The invention is applicable, preferably, (at least intended to be,) tothe manufacture of such wheels whose spokes have been fitted into thetires or rims before they are cast into the hubs. These spokes so to besecured are made of wire or other metal, having their inner ends bent,flattened, or spread in suitable manner, to constitute heads wherewithto hold them fast in the cast hubs and the mold which forms thesubject-matter of this invention is made sectional, the sections beingconstructed to fit closely one to the other, so that the cavity withinthe sections will constitute outline and shape of the body of the hubwhen filled with metal. To this cavity lead a series of apertures, thatextend throughout the circumference of the mold, and serve to receivethe inner parts of the spokes that are to enter into the body of themold and to be cast together with the hub.

In the drawings, the letter A represents the lower part of the mold. Band O are the two upper parts of the same. The lower part, A, is annularin form, and is provided on its upper surface with a series of projecting stems or pieces, if a, between which there are correspondingrecesses to receive similar stems or pieces I) I), that projectdownwardly into them from the upper parts, B and G, of the mold. Thesetwo upper parts are each semi-annular in form, so that when placedtogether they will be the counterpart ofthe lower piece, A, all theparts being so constructed and shaped that the projecting stems to awill interlock with the projecting stems b b, in manner indicated inFig. 2, and

dated May 27, 1879; application filed also shown in Fig. 1. Thus, whenthe mold is closed, as in Fig. 1, the outer circumference will beperfect, and within it will be a cavity of the proper shape and outlineof the hub to be cast.

For the reception of the spokes I provide this mold with a series ofapertures, d, which are clearly shown in Fig. 1, and which are formed sothat one half of every such aperture is in the lower part, A, of themold, and the other half is in the upper part of the mold that is placedover such aperture. In other words, the upper end of every stem ahasasomewhat semicircular cavity corresponding to a similar cavity in thecovering part on the upper part of the mold, and in like manner everystem 1) has in its lower end a semicircular cavity that corresponds to asimilar cavity in that part of the piece A over which such stem isplaced.

Thus the mold has apertures for the reception of the spokes, and at thesame time, by having of each of these apertures one-half in the lowerbody, A, I am enabled to place the spokes properly into-and onto themold when the mold is taken apart, the lower piece, A, resting on asuitable platform or table; and after the spokes have been properlysecured to a rim or tire the inner ends of these spokes are laid uponthe part A of the mold, so that every spoke will rest in one of thesemicircular cavities formed in the lower part, A, of the mold, asalready stated. Thus the spokes are properly spaced. The upper parts, Band C, of the mold are then put in place and properly locked together,so that they will complete the above mentioned circular cavities, andrest on the spokes placed into them, thus locking the spokes in place,and also closing the holes (1, so that the fluid metal cannot escapethrough them. Having thus been united, the parts of the mold are furthersecurely clamped together by means of a screw, D, which passes throughthe center of the mold lengthwise into the supporting table or plat.-form, and which has a shoulder bearing upon ,the upper parts, B O, ofthe mold. This post or screw D serves also to form the bore of the hub,around which the metal is cast.

The metal enters the mold through a suitable spout or inlet, E, that'isformed by proper projections of the parts 13 G, and fillsthc cavitywithin the mold around the post D, thereby also passing around the innerends of the spokes that enter the mold, and serve to unite the spokes tothe hub.

When the process of casting is finished, a ring, F, which surrounds theupper part of the spout E, is turned, by a suitable wrench, to

twist off the projecting part of metal that fills the spout, and toleave the hub complete Within the mold, which can then be dismembered toremove the finished casting. The ring F, being turned loose on the spoutE, takes hold by friction of the projecting neck of metal and twists it,thereby detaching the lower smaller end of the neck. The ring F is inplace on the spout E during the act of casting, and therefore surroundsthe upper end of the projecting neck of metal.

It is evident that the mold is properly centered on the supporting-tablewith reference to the rim or tire of the wheel in which the spokes aresecured before the process of casting is commenced; and it is alsoevident that if the inner ends of the spokes are flattened, bent, orspread in any way the inner faces of the pieces of the mold arecorrespondingly shaped, to admit such spread, bent, or flattened ends.

Instead of making the mold with two rows case a sectional ring, havingupwardly and downwardly projecting pieces a I), is inter posed betweenthe part A and the parts B O- l of the mold. If the spokes are of otherthan cylindrical form, the shape of the apertures d must becorrespondingly changed.

I claim as my invention 1. The mold for casting hubs onto spokes, saidmold consisting of the lower annular part, A, having stems a, and theupper parts, B 0, having stems I), all arranged so that when the partsof the mold are put together aper-- tures d, for the admission of thespokes, are formed in the mold, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

2. In combination with the mold A B U, forming the apertures d, thecentral post or screw, D, for operation substantially as specified.

VIBGIL PRICE."

Witnesses:

T. B. MOSHER, F. V. BRIESEN.

